He let the tie drop to the floor and released a long, relieved breath.
“Mine,” he said, lifting her beneath her arms so she could jump up and wrap her legs around him and hold on as he walked them into the bedroom.
He slid her to the floor by the side of the bed. “Turn around,” he said in a gruff voice he barely recognized.
She did as he asked, lifting her hair out of the way. He unzipped the gown, sliding the garment off one shoulder and letting the material pool at her feet. The sexy, strapless bra came next, and he kissed the marks left by the confining material, sliding his tongue over her soft skin, working his way down one vertebra at a time.
She trembled but remained in place as his lips hit the sweet spot at the base of her spine, just above the silken thong that settled between her cheeks. He squeezed each round globe, kissing her there, too, before gliding the panties down her long legs.
He rose and splayed his hand across her stomach, his fingertips dipping downward, toward her sex. “Mine,” he said once more before spinning her back to face him.
Her eyes were dilated, her cheeks flushed, and she’d pulled her plump bottom lip between her teeth.
“You make me want,” she whispered. “You make me believe.”
She didn’t need to explain. She did the same thing for him.
Before Riley, he didn’t believe in romance, relationships, women, or love. He shuddered at the word that danced around his head, tempting him with something he’d long since thought impossible. Yet she was here, by choice. Not running when she knew exactly how demanding he could be.
He cupped her face with both hands and kissed her, taking his time, stroking her lips with his tongue and reveling in her sweet taste. Not demanding anything she didn’t willingly give. Instead, he was kissing her as if they had all the time in the world.
He thought of the tie on the floor of the living room. With one choice word, he could have her splayed before him on the bed, acceding to his every command. Lifting his head, he looked down at her. Blue eyes wide, lips well kissed, her breathing ragged, she waited for him to take the lead.
He traced the line of the chain and diamond drop hanging from her delicate neck, and her ni**les puckered at his touch. He could have her on her back, hands gripping the headboard as he f**ked her wearing nothing but his necklace.
He could. But that wasn’t what he wanted from her.
He shed his jacket then unbuttoned his shirt and dropped it to the floor. She reached out a hesitant hand, placing her palm over his heart. In that instant, he accepted that she owned him. He didn’t want to f**k her into submission, he wanted to make love to her. It seemed there were still firsts for him, after all.
With none-too-steady hands, he unbuttoned his pants and slid off his trousers and briefs, ridding himself of those as well. Then he lifted her up and dropped her in the center of the bed, coming down on top of her, his body aligning with hers.
He braced his hands on either side of her head. “I don’t want anything between us. I want to feel all of you when I slide inside your slick heat.”
Her eyes dilated at his graphic words.
“I’m on the pill, but I never have sex without protection,” she said.
He was disappointed, but he understood and reached for the nightstand drawer.
“I meant, I’ve never had sex without it before.”
Her words stopped his forward movement, and he came back to her, resuming his earlier position, his thick c**k gliding over her feminine heat.
“I’m safe,” she continued. “And I know you wouldn’t be asking if you had any doubts about yourself.”
“I would never put you at risk.”
She nodded. “Then I don’t want anything between us either.”
He released a long-held breath. She’d given him a gift he didn’t take lightly. “I’ve never not used one before either,” he assured her.
“I know, Mr. Always in Control.” She grinned, her pretty blue eyes glittering with laughter.
“Minx.”
She wound her arms around him. “Your minx.”
He groaned at her words, raised himself up, settling his erection at her entrance. He watched her expression as he eased inside her by increments, not wanting to miss out on one second of this first time. As her body opened, accepting his thick length, taking him in, wet heat slowly enveloped him.
“Oh, Ian, I feel you,” she murmured in awe.
“I feel you too, baby.” And he hadn’t been prepared for the emotions flooding through him.
Oh hell, now he knew why they called it making love, he thought, gliding all the way home. So damned good, he thought, his entire body in sensory overload.
Her body clasped him tight, gripping him and connecting them body, heart, and soul. His heart slammed harder inside his chest, beating out a rapid rhythm, screaming ownership and possession of this woman who’d been different from the very first. He stilled, giving himself a second to catch his breath and calm the f**k down. If there’d been any lingering doubts or question of the depth of feelings she inspired, they were gone with this one act.
Before she questioned him, he collected his thoughts and began to move, gliding in and out of her slick sheath. She bent her knees and raised her hips, encouraging him, giving him more depth for each thrust. He picked up rhythm, and she moaned, arching into him each time he drove harder inside her.
Their bodies already had their own rhythm, but skin to skin, everything was elevated, bigger, more, including her cries of pleasure. Faster, harder. He broke into a sweat, braced his arms, and powered into her.
“Yes. Oh God, right there.” She arched again, and he made sure the head of his c**k hit the same spot inside her.
“Come, baby. I’ve got you.”
Her body stilled and clenched, and she convulsed around him, crying out with each pump of his cock.
“Ian!” She screamed his name, triggering his own hard, fast release.
He came, spilling himself into her, opening his heart and gutting him at the same time.
* * *
Riley woke up because her stomach was grumbling. She rolled to find Ian watching her in amusement, his lips twitching with a grin.
“Something funny?” she asked.
“I like watching you sleep. Listening to you? Not so much.”
She punched him in the arm. “You made me leave the party before dinner,” she reminded him. “I’m starving. And craving ice cream.”
He rolled his eyes and laughed. “Luckily for you, I keep a stocked freezer for the girls. My sisters,” he added quickly when she raised her eyebrows in question.